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Downloaded from
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.BZ

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Oh hey, uncles, aunts,

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you, our elders and loved ones.

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Our Bunong life is slipping
away from yesterday to today

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We have already lost our possessions.

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Our way of life, we have already abandoned it.

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We have become fewer and fewer each day...

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Singing, counting, playing symbols and gongs

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Sharing rice, drinking, like
the Bunongs of yesteryear.

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On the border between Cambodia and Vietnam,

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a mountain rises from the dense forest canopy.,

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The Bunong people claim it as
the original place of their birth,

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as well as that of all living things.

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And they call it: Namler

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Fifty males and fifty females of
each species are said to have emerged

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from its belly to populate the world.

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But a four-horned buffalo,

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stuck across the opening,
would have blocked the passage...

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The last humans, the wisest ones,

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would have remained trapped in its bowels.

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Making this hollow mountain, both an eternal memory

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of their birth and the sanctuary of ancient spirits.

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In the 15th century, Portuguese
navigators discovered a river

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so full of shrimp that they call it Rio de Camarōes.

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This name will eventually come to
refer to the entire country, Cameroon.

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For the natives, some waterways are mystical.

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They are not only a source of abundance,

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but also gateways between
the visible and invisible worlds

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inhabited by the souls of
ancestors who guide and protect

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the Lobé River, among others,

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has nourished generations of people and stories.

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I grew up in Paris.

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My name is Fanny Paloma.

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I grew up on a fault line.

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I am the daughter of a
colonizer and a colonized person.

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Caught up in this intimate
tension of a history that still refuses

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to face itself head-on.

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In fact, I searched for a long time.
To find out what it means to belong.

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French on my mother's side, Chilean on my father's.

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In the country where he was born,

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and throughout the South American continent,

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it flies a flag called Wiphala,

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There, he represents the
hundreds of indigenous peoples

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of the Andes mountain range,

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their culture,

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their rich and diverse languages.

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It expresses attachment to Mother Earth

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and the importance of memory,

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This symbol also represents
unity in resistance, above all,

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against the occupation of their
lands by European colonists.

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As a child, I read about the
extinction of indigenous peoples

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in history books,

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then I heard the same words,

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in the present tense.

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If history continues to be written,

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What makes me different from viewers 500 years ago?

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Today's colonists have
mainly changed their uniforms.

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They have donned the suits
of business leaders who are

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prosperous and international.

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While researching this topic.

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I discovered one day the history of
the Bunong communities of Cambodia

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and the Bagyeli people in Cameroon.

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The legacy of colonialism,

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the exploitation of foreign
resources for Western use

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are so intertwined with our
systems that one might wonder

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Today,

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who is responsible?

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I wanted to find out more.

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I went to meet people who are resisting

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to preserve their identity,

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their lands

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and their existence.

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It's a long story.

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It starts here.

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The Bunongs are an indigenous people living mainly

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in eastern Cambodia.

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They are among the main
non-Khmer groups in the country

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with distinct languages and lifestyles.

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For a long time, the Bunongs practiced gathering,

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hunting, herding and shifting agriculture,

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by cultivating plots of land
which they then left fallow

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for several years to allow the soil to regenerate.

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Before returning to them.

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Agriculture is based on the
oral transmission of knowledge

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and follows a ritual cycle that
structures in fact, all social life

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involves strong solidarity

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among the members of the village.

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My name is Sorng Prou

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This knowledge was passed down
from my grandmother to my mother,

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and from my mother to me.

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I remember one day my sister-in-law,
who was about to give birth,

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called me to assist her.

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But after successfully birth to her child,

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her body shook with convulsions,

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it was very impressive.

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She told me that she was experiencing
excruciating pain all over her body.

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I was very scared.

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In fact, I immediately went
to pick some medicinal plants.

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The Biap and Rnjao plants

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grow in the high-altitude forests.

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I washed them, cooked them and prayed

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before giving them to her to drink.

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She felt better after drinking the medicine.

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Bunong medicine comes from plants.

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Now, all these plants are far away.

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So, we can't get them as easily anymore.

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I live in Busra

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I am Bunong.

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Absolutely Bunong.

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For the animist Bunongs,

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animals,

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plants, and places have souls.

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They live alongside spirits and respect them.

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But strangely, the rubber tree does not have any.

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Is it because it arrived late,
imported by French colonists

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in the middle of the 20th century

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or maybe because it had already

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cost thousands of lives and brought with it

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the morbid secret of new prosperity in the West?

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Around the present-day village of Busra,

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a story haunts the minds of the people.

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In 2008,

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bulldozers woke families in the middle of the night.

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People are running out,

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they are driving over their fruit trees and working

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for a company called Socfin KCD.

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They forced the introduction of rubber trees,

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supposedly to improve our lives.

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For a development project.

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But that's not how it turned out.

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I was told, "You can farm here."

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So I started working the land with my children.

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I prepared it entirely.

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I prepared it so it could be planted.

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When she was ready, the company boss told me:

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“You can't keep this land.”

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“You have to go somewhere else.”

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I obeyed.

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I started over, somewhere else.

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And just when the land was ready for planting...

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They asked me to leave.

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Again.

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It was no longer a misunderstanding.

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It was a kind of game.

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He was trying to push me to my limits.

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He wanted to make me violent.

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I realized they were humiliating me

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and deliberately manipulating me.

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They were given three options:

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financial compensation of around 200 euros.

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It's not the price of the land,

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but that of the ripe fruit counted

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at the time of takeover.

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The possibility of signing a contract to plant only

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rubber trees on their own land,

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but for the benefit of the company,

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or exchange the plot of land for another,

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often distant, often not very fertile.

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Three options, not really a choice.

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I didn't accept the money willingly.

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I did it because we had no choice.

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I was afraid of losing everything if I didn't take it.

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So I did.

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Elders, women, and young people...

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No one was consulted.

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We organized protests.

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We rebelled,

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but they arrested us.

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They had the power to intimidate us.

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We lost.

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The company swindled us.

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They tore us from the earth

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that makes us who we are.

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These forests, these fields, these rice paddies.

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This is where, for generations,

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the Bunongs have lived.

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Before Socfin KCD,

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80% of crops were shifting rice fields.

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Almost nothing remains.

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Today, the villages have been relocated,

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access to the forest is controlled,

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and food-producing land has been reduced.

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Ancestral practices are declining

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and are even being banned.

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Deprived of common land.

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Residents must now prove
that they have been farming

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the same plot continuously for five years.

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This goes against their traditions.

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The areas cleared in an
emergency are used to grow pepper

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or rubber trees.

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The more pressure there is on land,

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the more what is eaten is replaced by what is sold.

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10,000 kilometers away.

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In a country where agriculture provides a
livelihood for over 90% of the population,

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land is more than strategic for people.

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It is vital.

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I could see that it was
difficult for me to go to school,

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but I had learned how to make cassava sticks.

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Sometimes my grandmother made them,

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sometimes my mom made them too

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and I would go sell them.

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I thought to myself, “Why not do it myself?”

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So I started selling cassava sticks.

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When I saw how they made

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spicy fish, like we saw in the village there,

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I stood there watching.

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How they crush the chili pepper,

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the lemon,

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the salt.

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I said to myself: “One day, I'll try it too.”

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When I tried it, I gave my grandmother a taste,

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she said, “It's very good!”

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I said, “I'll keep going!”

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Now it's also one of my commercial products.

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With this routine,

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And it's getting easier for me to juggle

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this or that...

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That's kinda the thing.

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Bérengère is my age,

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she grew up on the edge of a huge oil palm plantation

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called Socapalm.

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Originally, this state program
involved the construction

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of schools, hospitals, and roads,

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but its acquisition by a foreign company

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changed the rules of development,

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leading to complaints from local residents.

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Self-taught reporter.

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She has been documenting
the situation for several years.

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We had all the medicine we needed in the forest.

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Everything was normal

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Today, our whole way of life has changed

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since the government asked us to leave the forest.

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Now that we have to move closer to the villages,

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we live like tenants in their homes.

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Because we never had

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a village recognized by the government.

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Solange is a Begyeli woman.

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This people, also known as Pygmies,

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have lived in the forest for generations.

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In the past, they didn't depend on anyone.

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They had the forest,

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they had the rivers,

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they had fruit trees.

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All of this enabled them to survive.

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They had everything they needed.

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Today, these forests are
privatized by agribusiness,

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such as Socapalm,

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which has thousands of hectares,

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still uncultivated on the land

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it acquired from the state.

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And yet,

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it continues to swallow the fields
of many surrounding villages.

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The Bagyelis, forbidden from entering the forests

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are forced to settle on the
outskirts of sedentary ethnic villages,

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which are themselves bordered by Socapalm fields.

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In the villages bordering the plantations,

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people bury their dead in front of their houses

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because there is no longer any
space to welcome their loved ones.

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I don't hesitate to point out the difficulties,

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that all the villages in the town of Kribi

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affected by Socapalm are facing.

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Whether it be indigenous peoples,

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or the Bantu people.

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I have no hesitation.

266
00:18:03,279 --> 00:18:06,200
Here is the document in question. I'm coming to you.

267
00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:12,720
The parties agree with Socapalm

268
00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:14,960
by mutual agreement

269
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:17,359
the following:

270
00:18:17,799 --> 00:18:19,640
Here is the text.

271
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,400
Socapalm undertakes to make available to the state

272
00:18:24,599 --> 00:18:26,880
all unplanted areas of the concession

273
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:28,680
which are shaded in green on the state map.

274
00:18:29,359 --> 00:18:33,799
Well, if Socapalm has returned the land to the people...

275
00:18:35,519 --> 00:18:36,559
Where are they?

276
00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:38,680
We've heard several versions

277
00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,400
Sometimes, these lands are no longer here

278
00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:44,039
on Socapalm lands

279
00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,799
but rather towards a village called Bidou.

280
00:18:48,519 --> 00:18:50,240
The populations remained surprised

281
00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,680
But what does that mean?

282
00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,000
What the hell are people going to do...

283
00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,599
I don't know how many miles it is from here!

284
00:19:00,519 --> 00:19:02,359
It finally turned out that

285
00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:04,480
in the villages of Bidou 1 and 2, over there,

286
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,079
these lands were not...

287
00:19:08,599 --> 00:19:09,759
It was land that was, um...

288
00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:11,000
occupied.

289
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:13,759
Socapalm says:

290
00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,880
that all our complaints must go through Socapalm.

291
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:18,960
But when a problem arises at Socapalm

292
00:19:19,079 --> 00:19:21,640
and we approach Socapalm to present it to them,

293
00:19:22,079 --> 00:19:23,160
they don't handle the situation well.

294
00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:24,720
While,

295
00:19:25,599 --> 00:19:27,640
we have a dispute,

296
00:19:30,519 --> 00:19:31,839
that needs to be resolved.

297
00:19:32,839 --> 00:19:36,599
They spend their time offering chairs to people.

298
00:19:37,559 --> 00:19:38,480
Tarps...

299
00:19:39,319 --> 00:19:40,599
Promises... of this,

300
00:19:40,759 --> 00:19:41,759
and that...

301
00:19:42,519 --> 00:19:44,279
When that's not what we're interested in!

302
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,119
Socapalm can make these offers later!

303
00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:49,480
But,

304
00:19:49,839 --> 00:19:51,240
release first

305
00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:52,880
what the populations...

306
00:19:53,319 --> 00:19:54,559
what they are owed!

307
00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:02,319
The ancient places of worship
are swallowed up by palm trees.

308
00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:06,759
Yesterday, I heard about a former leader

309
00:20:07,319 --> 00:20:09,000
who resisted German colonization.

310
00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,079
His grave is somewhere...

311
00:20:12,559 --> 00:20:13,440
inaccessible

312
00:20:13,799 --> 00:20:15,640
behind the fences of a private estate.

313
00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,720
For the inhabitants, it is
inconceivable, unbearable.

314
00:20:22,839 --> 00:20:25,319
As if history itself were being expropriated.

315
00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:29,640
If rituals no longer have a place,

316
00:20:30,519 --> 00:20:31,759
if the dead no longer have graves,

317
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:34,400
do stories have a future?

318
00:20:56,799 --> 00:20:59,880
I work for the Centre for
Environment and Development ,

319
00:21:00,039 --> 00:21:01,680
an NGO based in Yaoundé

320
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,039
that works throughout the Congo Basin

321
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,599
on issues related to natural resource management,

322
00:21:08,039 --> 00:21:12,000
including forests and extractive resources
such as oil, gas and solid minerals.

323
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:13,319
Land is becoming

324
00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:16,759
increasingly important as it is a central issue

325
00:21:17,559 --> 00:21:21,640
that will probably disrupt peace

326
00:21:22,319 --> 00:21:25,839
in all Central African countries in
the coming years if we are not careful.

327
00:21:27,599 --> 00:21:30,960
Samuel Nguiffo is a lawyer
and actively works to alert

328
00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,759
governments and companies
about the concrete risks

329
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:34,960
of land grabbing.

330
00:21:37,279 --> 00:21:40,160
In certain areas today,

331
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:45,359
there are communities who believe
they have customary ownership of the land.

332
00:21:45,759 --> 00:21:49,279
For them, this is not up for debate
because it is the land of their ancestors.

333
00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:51,480
They were born there

334
00:21:51,599 --> 00:21:53,640
and their umbilical cords

335
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:56,839
were buried in the land at their birth.

336
00:21:57,079 --> 00:21:59,359
This makes them part of the land.

337
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:01,240
Alongside these people,

338
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,559
there are others who have

339
00:22:05,559 --> 00:22:07,960
obtained rights to the same land from the state,

340
00:22:08,759 --> 00:22:11,960
and this is the essential basis of the conflict.

341
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:13,880
This is where the land conflict arises.

342
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,960
The question also arose in Cambodia,

343
00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,079
where to plant, the workers of Socfin KCD.

344
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,640
Had to exhume hundreds of bodies

345
00:22:25,799 --> 00:22:27,759
before planting in the Bunong cemetery lands.

346
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:36,440
Outraged, they came to collect bones.

347
00:22:36,759 --> 00:22:39,359
They say they never consented or were consulted.

348
00:22:40,279 --> 00:22:43,160
But Article 10 of the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights

349
00:22:43,319 --> 00:22:44,640
of Indigenous Peoples is clear:

350
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,960
"Their lands cannot be taken away without their free,

351
00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:49,720
prior and informed consent."

352
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,000
The Cambodian government
nevertheless sold its land

353
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:57,279
to a foreign company.

354
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,200
So which law applies?

355
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:03,720
Which law prevails?

356
00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:06,880
Does “we” legally exist?

357
00:23:08,599 --> 00:23:10,640
And if so, in whose name are we speaking?

358
00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:23,400
Héloïse is one of the founders
of the French NGO ReAct,

359
00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:26,839
very active in the field alongside
the communities living near Socfin.

360
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,200
So we built this network,
the international alliance

361
00:23:30,519 --> 00:23:32,480
of residents living near the
Socfin Bolloré plantations

362
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:34,759
to come together

363
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:36,720
and then build common demands.

364
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,759
People are generally very happy to know

365
00:23:39,839 --> 00:23:41,519
that there are other people, in other countries,

366
00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:43,039
but who have the same problems,

367
00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:46,200
exactly the same situation, who
are affected by the same company,

368
00:23:46,559 --> 00:23:48,279
and who therefore have a
common interest in acting together.

369
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:49,559
They feel isolated,

370
00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:51,720
Some have tried to mobilize several times

371
00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,279
without achieving anything,

372
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:55,920
so they are looking for allies, in fact.

373
00:23:57,920 --> 00:23:58,960
Socfin Bolloré then.

374
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,240
In fact, these companies, Socfin KCD and Socapalm

375
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:05,160
are both subsidiaries of the same company,

376
00:24:05,279 --> 00:24:06,119
based in Luxembourg,

377
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:07,480
Socfin.

378
00:24:08,599 --> 00:24:10,640
It is itself a subsidiary of
a French industrial giant,

379
00:24:11,599 --> 00:24:12,359
the Bolloré Group.

380
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,079
For several years now, NGOs
have been taking legal action

381
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,359
and alerting international organizations
such as the UN and the OECD,

382
00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,160
to denounce the irregularities of
these companies in the countries

383
00:24:23,319 --> 00:24:24,519
where the plantations are located,

384
00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,759
but also to highlight the
inaction of this parent company.

385
00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:45,880
This is our counter-report.

386
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:51,359
In 2018, there were already around
twenty complaints for defamation

387
00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:53,119
from the Bolloré Group or Socfin,

388
00:24:53,319 --> 00:24:54,720
in France or in various countries.

389
00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:56,319
It still costs a lot of money,

390
00:24:56,799 --> 00:24:57,799
to pay it.

391
00:24:58,000 --> 00:24:59,680
You have to pay a lawyer,

392
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,519
take legal action, it takes time

393
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:04,359
energy, it's scary too.

394
00:25:04,559 --> 00:25:06,480
When you're a young activist,

395
00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:07,559
you're not used to it.

396
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,680
To find yourself in court.

397
00:25:13,519 --> 00:25:15,920
If these multinationals
lose most of their lawsuits

398
00:25:16,039 --> 00:25:18,480
for defamation, it is because the courts recognize

399
00:25:18,599 --> 00:25:21,279
that journalists and activists
can substantiate their accusations.

400
00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:24,519
But so far, nothing has changed

401
00:25:34,559 --> 00:25:38,759
The villagers asked me for
help because I went to college.

402
00:25:39,079 --> 00:25:42,759
I had a small network, so I
joined them to discuss the situation.

403
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,599
To think about how to move forward together.

404
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,519
Neth Prak is the founder of the NGO BIPA,

405
00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:52,480
created with the aim of defending

406
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:54,160
Bunong rights and culture.

407
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,920
Companies like Socfin have set up businesses,

408
00:25:58,319 --> 00:26:00,480
they often promise partnerships and development.

409
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,599
Here, the inhabitants are promised precarious jobs

410
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,160
on the plots of land they have lost and used to farm.

411
00:26:26,759 --> 00:26:27,359
Quickly,

412
00:26:27,519 --> 00:26:31,160
several local NGOs, founded
and run by Bunongs, come together

413
00:26:32,759 --> 00:26:34,480
and begin to gather testimonies

414
00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:38,319
to document the direct effects
of these events on their territory

415
00:26:38,599 --> 00:26:39,680
and their living conditions.

416
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:43,480
It is difficult to cultivate our land

417
00:26:43,839 --> 00:26:48,559
because the government
restricts rotational farming practices,

418
00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:49,839
we do it in secret.

419
00:26:50,319 --> 00:26:51,240
I heard

420
00:26:51,559 --> 00:26:54,400
that the local authorities required
us to sign a contract with them...

421
00:26:54,759 --> 00:26:56,799
to maintain our own land.

422
00:26:58,519 --> 00:27:00,359
Some families have already been arrested

423
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:06,839
because they were farming on their farms, publicly.

424
00:27:07,519 --> 00:27:12,759
It's very difficult for us to earn money.

425
00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:16,160
We harvest cassava only once a year.

426
00:27:16,519 --> 00:27:19,599
And we've already spent our
money on gas for the scooters,

427
00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:25,039
to go to the new farm.

428
00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,680
Our lives have become much more difficult.

429
00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:27,039
Before, we had our land to farm.

430
00:28:27,319 --> 00:28:30,119
We used to walk there.

431
00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:35,519
Before, we worked the fields, we had rice to eat.

432
00:28:36,319 --> 00:28:39,240
We weren't going to buy our food.

433
00:28:39,599 --> 00:28:43,319
Today, it's different.

434
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,680
The land is far away. The road is bad.

435
00:28:58,119 --> 00:29:00,519
By comparing stories from their local networks,

436
00:29:00,759 --> 00:29:03,279
activists from communities
affected by Socfin plantations

437
00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,079
identify common patterns.

438
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:07,960
Supported by the NGO ReAct,

439
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:12,599
they decide to launch a joint initiative
to get to the root of the problem.

440
00:29:17,039 --> 00:29:18,480
Despite all my efforts

441
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,039
with Socapalm, to find a job,

442
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:23,519
Socapalm was unable to employ me.

443
00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,160
This is what pushed me to rebel,

444
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:29,559
against this society, which is taking over my land,

445
00:29:30,039 --> 00:29:31,920
and is unable to assist me.

446
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:33,440
By giving me a job.

447
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:36,640
So we created an organization

448
00:29:36,799 --> 00:29:38,000
called SYNAPARCAM.

449
00:29:38,559 --> 00:29:41,559
National Synergy of Farmers
and Residents of Cameroon.

450
00:29:42,319 --> 00:29:43,880
To turn the tables.

451
00:29:50,799 --> 00:29:52,160
After that,

452
00:29:53,319 --> 00:29:54,599
we began to engage in dialogue

453
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:56,480
with victims from seven African countries

454
00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:01,160
all facing abuse by Socfin.

455
00:30:01,799 --> 00:30:03,720
Upstream, we met with the villagers.

456
00:30:04,279 --> 00:30:10,039
To list the problems with Socfin.

457
00:30:10,599 --> 00:30:16,039
We requested a meeting
with the Bolloré Group in Paris.

458
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:17,880
We did negotiate, after all

459
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,359
that a Bolloré group is paying

460
00:30:19,559 --> 00:30:20,599
for the organization.

461
00:30:20,839 --> 00:30:22,960
The Bolloré Group sent
out invitations so that people

462
00:30:23,119 --> 00:30:26,200
could obtain their visas and
paid for the various plane tickets

463
00:30:26,359 --> 00:30:27,559
so that people could be there.

464
00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:31,079
A few months later, for the first time,

465
00:30:31,519 --> 00:30:34,640
representatives from Africa and
Asia gathered in the same room

466
00:30:34,799 --> 00:30:36,519
to present their common demands

467
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,039
to Socfin.

468
00:30:40,079 --> 00:30:42,119
On the same day, Marie-Annick Darmaillac,

469
00:30:42,359 --> 00:30:44,200
representative of the
Bolloré group, announced that

470
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:45,880
the representatives of Socfin are not here,

471
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:47,559
they have written a letter.

472
00:30:47,839 --> 00:30:49,599
It was quite complicated because there were

473
00:30:49,839 --> 00:30:52,599
the representatives of the Bolloré
group who used that a little bit by saying

474
00:30:53,119 --> 00:30:56,200
"We're only a minority shareholder,

475
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,880
we have less than 50%. It's
the Socfin group that decides."

476
00:30:59,359 --> 00:31:00,680
So they did it deliberately.

477
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:03,480
That the Bolloré Group,
which sent us the invitations

478
00:31:03,839 --> 00:31:04,440
be there

479
00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,720
and Socfin, with whom we have prepared the agenda

480
00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:09,359
did not come on the day of the meeting.

481
00:31:10,559 --> 00:31:12,200
And at this point, we can't make any decisions.

482
00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:13,839
The Bolloré Group says:

483
00:31:14,319 --> 00:31:16,559
"I am in the minority, Socfin is not there."

484
00:31:16,799 --> 00:31:19,119
“I will communicate all your demands to Socfin.”

485
00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:20,960
“We'll see how things develop.”

486
00:31:21,319 --> 00:31:23,920
"Go home, to your respective countries."

487
00:31:24,359 --> 00:31:25,720
“You will work with management.”

488
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:26,800
“Things are going to change.”

489
00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:28,839
There was supposed to be a
whole process and a new meeting

490
00:31:29,119 --> 00:31:30,640
to assess progress one year later.

491
00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:32,519
Which never happened.

492
00:31:51,119 --> 00:31:52,519
After the meeting in Paris,

493
00:31:53,119 --> 00:31:55,160
the communities finally secured the organization

494
00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:56,599
of a tripartite mediation process.

495
00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,119
Representatives of the affected communities,

496
00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,839
Socfin and an independent mediator,

497
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:06,319
creating a more balanced and transparent
framework for discussion on equal terms.

498
00:32:09,599 --> 00:32:11,079
But very quickly, hope runs out

499
00:32:11,559 --> 00:32:13,279
because the tripartite funds used up

500
00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,960
without any concrete progress
being made on the ground.

501
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:18,519
Despite the fatigue,

502
00:32:18,799 --> 00:32:20,640
a new process will be put in place.

503
00:32:21,119 --> 00:32:22,759
Mediation becomes bilateral.

504
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:25,160
An unbalanced confrontation

505
00:32:25,519 --> 00:32:27,000
in which the entire community

506
00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:28,880
is no longer represented since it brings together

507
00:32:29,079 --> 00:32:31,400
only a handful of families facing Socfin,

508
00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:35,079
which, in its press releases,
announces that it will resolve the issue

509
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:36,680
with the community in general.

510
00:32:42,359 --> 00:32:42,959
Furthermore,

511
00:32:43,079 --> 00:32:45,640
these peoples have the right to
demand the restitution of their lands.

512
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:49,000
The United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

513
00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:50,240
also states this clearly.

514
00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:53,119
However, this is precisely what has been excluded

515
00:32:53,359 --> 00:32:55,480
for all those involved in this mediation process.

516
00:32:56,119 --> 00:32:58,559
Restitution should no longer be discussed.

517
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:03,599
For several years, we worked together.

518
00:33:05,079 --> 00:33:07,079
Until the moment when some began

519
00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:08,200
to choose other paths...

520
00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:10,920
It's as if people have given up.

521
00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:12,519
I feel a bit left out...

522
00:33:13,759 --> 00:33:15,079
It's sad.

523
00:33:23,359 --> 00:33:25,000
In Switzerland, Michael Nanz,

524
00:33:25,119 --> 00:33:28,119
is an active member of the NGO FIAN which observes

525
00:33:28,319 --> 00:33:30,559
situations where food security and autonomy

526
00:33:30,759 --> 00:33:31,559
of people are threatened.

527
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,319
He regularly asks Socfin for accountability

528
00:33:35,079 --> 00:33:38,880
By ensuring that no more land will be claimed.

529
00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:42,480
It's actually a way of legalizing land grabbing.

530
00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:44,799
It's a form of cultural laundering.

531
00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,039
What happened was part of a colonial process.

532
00:33:47,279 --> 00:33:51,240
For decades, we have witnessed
the globalization of trade.

533
00:33:51,799 --> 00:33:54,519
But never that of justice.

534
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:01,799
Precisely in 2017,

535
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:04,720
France passed a law that
holds companies accountable

536
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,759
for human rights abuses committed by them

537
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:10,239
and the environment
throughout their production chain,

538
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:11,840
including abroad.

539
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:15,760
This is the first law that allows foreign victims

540
00:34:15,920 --> 00:34:18,760
to take legal action in the country
where the parent company is located.

541
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:22,000
Initiated by Congressman Dominique Potier,

542
00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:23,679
it marks a turning point in the fight

543
00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:25,360
against the impunity of
multinational corporations.

544
00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:28,039
International courts,

545
00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:30,360
UN bodies

546
00:34:30,519 --> 00:34:32,679
have decided that land grabbing

547
00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,119
on a global scale was a cause of provocation

548
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,039
of misery and violence equivalent to wars

549
00:34:38,199 --> 00:34:39,159
around the world today.

550
00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:41,880
This is a subject that will
require, here as elsewhere,

551
00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:44,079
new laws, new regulations,

552
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:46,360
new rights in globalization.

553
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,559
One of the characteristics
of contemporary capitalism

554
00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,280
is the legal irresponsibility
of multinational corporations

555
00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:54,360
towards their subsidiaries and subcontractors.

556
00:34:54,559 --> 00:34:56,559
And I think that the duty of care,

557
00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:58,039
should always be described that way.

558
00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:00,320
It wasn't a politician. who thought of it first.

559
00:35:00,679 --> 00:35:01,599
It came from the grassroots.

560
00:35:01,679 --> 00:35:03,519
It comes from NGOs that have worked in the field

561
00:35:03,719 --> 00:35:06,719
with NGOs in the South who have
seen the mechanisms of oppression.

562
00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:08,880
The mechanisms of manipulation,

563
00:35:09,039 --> 00:35:11,519
all the deadly mechanisms that today

564
00:35:12,159 --> 00:35:13,840
lead to child labor,

565
00:35:14,119 --> 00:35:16,039
ecocide, and tragedy.

566
00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:18,519
I had no doubt that

567
00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:19,480
the problem...

568
00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:22,280
the issue of globalized production chains.

569
00:35:22,679 --> 00:35:25,320
And, in particular, the fight against land grabbing,

570
00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,719
was a matter of life insurance.

571
00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:30,159
For our societies and for the planet.

572
00:35:43,119 --> 00:35:44,920
Fiodor Rilov is a French lawyer,

573
00:35:45,159 --> 00:35:46,719
specializing in labor law.

574
00:35:47,119 --> 00:35:49,039
He is the first to rely on this new law

575
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,440
to establish the liability of a parent company

576
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,320
for abuses committed by its subsidiaries.

577
00:35:54,039 --> 00:35:55,000
We have...

578
00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:56,880
We currently have

579
00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:58,440
two ongoing proceedings,

580
00:35:58,840 --> 00:36:01,840
one proceeding that has been
initiated by the Cambodians

581
00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:04,079
plaintiffs and one proceeding
that has been initiated

582
00:36:04,199 --> 00:36:05,599
by the Cameroonian plaintiffs.

583
00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:13,079
The lawyer travels to Cameroon to
meet with more than 150 local residents

584
00:36:13,199 --> 00:36:15,079
from Socapalm who have given him a mandate.

585
00:36:31,079 --> 00:36:32,239
I'm glad to be here,

586
00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:34,599
I’ll give you informations

587
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:37,559
as complete as possible

588
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:39,000
so you know

589
00:36:39,559 --> 00:36:41,679
the current status of the legal action

590
00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:43,320
that we initiated

591
00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:44,719
in 2019.

592
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:48,119
Even without direct control,

593
00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:51,719
the duty of care law obliges large companies

594
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:52,880
such as the Bolloré Group,

595
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:54,920
to prevent violations of human rights

596
00:36:55,239 --> 00:36:56,639
throughout their entire chain of activity,

597
00:36:57,519 --> 00:36:59,480
including among their
subcontractors and partners.

598
00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,039
He can be held liable once it has been proven,

599
00:37:05,239 --> 00:37:07,360
that he benefits from the
activities of Socfin, for example,

600
00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:09,280
or that he exercises influence over it.

601
00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:13,119
The first strategy of the plaintiffs

602
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,719
is therefore to request
access to internal documents

603
00:37:16,119 --> 00:37:17,920
to demonstrate the group's actual involvement

604
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:19,679
through its main pillars.

605
00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:21,360
You know,

606
00:37:21,559 --> 00:37:24,159
the minutes of these general
meetings are published, in principle,

607
00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:25,559
they are published,

608
00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:29,320
all you have to do is check the company registry.

609
00:37:29,679 --> 00:37:33,000
In principle, you should be
able to access these minutes.

610
00:37:34,119 --> 00:37:36,199
Obviously, the minutes are not published

611
00:37:36,519 --> 00:37:38,119
in the case of Socfin.

612
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:41,000
That's why I have to take legal action

613
00:37:41,199 --> 00:37:42,039
to obtain them.

614
00:37:54,599 --> 00:37:57,119
You're here to... help us.

615
00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:01,119
However, Socapalm already has a militia in place,

616
00:38:01,519 --> 00:38:02,639
the RSPO.

617
00:38:03,199 --> 00:38:03,799
Here,

618
00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:04,840
they hold meetings,

619
00:38:06,079 --> 00:38:07,480
They're trying to accomplish the same thing you are.

620
00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:11,280
RSPO is an English acronym

621
00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:13,039
which means:

622
00:38:13,519 --> 00:38:16,679
"Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil"

623
00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:22,360
And the RSPO issues a certification.

624
00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:24,199
And this certification,

625
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:27,480
if Socapalm obtains it...

626
00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:30,639
It will allow it to sell its palm oil

627
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:32,920
on the international market.

628
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:34,239
And it is precisely

629
00:38:34,719 --> 00:38:35,639
because of

630
00:38:36,039 --> 00:38:37,840
your legal action that

631
00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,320
Socapalm's financial backers...

632
00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:43,159
looked into

633
00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,159
how Socapalm manages

634
00:38:48,079 --> 00:38:48,800
its plantations.

635
00:38:50,159 --> 00:38:51,280
And realized that

636
00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:53,559
there were a lot of failures.

637
00:38:56,840 --> 00:38:58,360
We request drinking water,

638
00:38:58,639 --> 00:39:01,119
We demand... electricity.

639
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:02,480
We demand hospitals,

640
00:39:02,639 --> 00:39:03,760
We are asking for schools,

641
00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:06,360
Socapalm does not want to do anything.

642
00:39:06,679 --> 00:39:08,360
And they're using our land!

643
00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:09,760
And our property.

644
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:12,199
They are destroying our fields!

645
00:39:12,639 --> 00:39:15,639
And if, for example, a villager enters Socapalm

646
00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:16,840
in the plantation,

647
00:39:17,119 --> 00:39:18,920
to gather a single bako of palm nuts

648
00:39:19,039 --> 00:39:19,880
to survive,

649
00:39:20,079 --> 00:39:21,800
We catch him, we throw him in jail!

650
00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:23,639
And then...

651
00:39:24,079 --> 00:39:26,639
To get him out of prison,

652
00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:28,440
they are asking for 250

653
00:39:28,599 --> 00:39:30,760
300, 400, 500,000 francs!

654
00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:32,719
And Socapalm promised us

655
00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:36,360
plots of land on the plantations

656
00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:39,079
that the villagers would manage.

657
00:39:39,519 --> 00:39:41,239
But so far, we're waiting

658
00:39:41,559 --> 00:39:42,920
we can't find anything.

659
00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:47,000
Socfin found all the facilities.

660
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:48,760
They didn't install anything.

661
00:39:49,639 --> 00:39:51,079
They found the palm trees planted.

662
00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:53,119
They found the factories,

663
00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:54,280
They found the housing,

664
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:55,280
they found everything.

665
00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:56,960
They didn't spend anything.

666
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:01,800
The World Bank... the IMF

667
00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:03,960
have led our states

668
00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:05,679
to recolonize us once again

669
00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:08,280
by privatizing companies so
that they can reap the profits.

670
00:40:09,679 --> 00:40:10,360
That's it.

671
00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:12,920
They found the government facilities.

672
00:40:13,679 --> 00:40:16,400
The local workforce they exploit like slaves.

673
00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:20,480
They have no employment
contracts, they have nothing.

674
00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:21,840
They exploit them...

675
00:40:22,079 --> 00:40:22,920
We're here!

676
00:40:23,039 --> 00:40:24,280
We are slaves of Socfin!

677
00:40:25,159 --> 00:40:28,000
We, who are somewhat intellectual, say:

678
00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:29,599
“This has to stop!”

679
00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:31,480
And Socfin doesn't want to understand.

680
00:40:42,559 --> 00:40:44,599
When you are caught with a product,

681
00:40:45,079 --> 00:40:46,800
you will be arrested immediately.

682
00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:49,679
That's what this sign says.

683
00:40:50,559 --> 00:40:51,800
They must not exploit anything.

684
00:40:52,599 --> 00:40:55,800
Whether on the banks of rivers or in the river itself,

685
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,360
they must not benefit from anything.

686
00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:00,000
Fruits,

687
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:02,760
fish, shrimp... all that stuff.

688
00:41:03,119 --> 00:41:06,360
It was through shrimp fishing
that our ancestors in the past

689
00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:08,679
raised our great-grandparents,

690
00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:10,000
our parents, and us too.

691
00:41:10,400 --> 00:41:13,760
Our parents hoped that with this same culture,

692
00:41:14,159 --> 00:41:16,199
they would be able to take care of us.

693
00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:18,000
But unfortunately, that's not
what we're experiencing today.

694
00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,639
Although you don't have the
opportunity to work at Socapalm,

695
00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,039
how are you doing here, girls?

696
00:41:44,840 --> 00:41:47,159
Don't hide anything, it's important

697
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:49,079
because I, who am standing in front of you,

698
00:41:49,360 --> 00:41:51,360
when I find myself in front of these people,

699
00:41:51,519 --> 00:41:52,639
when I go to these places,

700
00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:53,719
I tell them

701
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,440
and I'm not ashamed to tell them,

702
00:41:56,519 --> 00:41:57,677
that I steal nuts

703
00:41:57,719 --> 00:41:59,719
and that my sisters from the village do it too,

704
00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:02,679
because we have nothing else to do!

705
00:42:03,079 --> 00:42:05,119
Socapalm already didn't allow us to go to school,

706
00:42:05,199 --> 00:42:07,559
Socapalm doesn't give us any facilities.

707
00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,400
So I beg you, tell us everything you know.

708
00:42:10,519 --> 00:42:12,239
I beg you, it will help us a lot.

709
00:42:12,360 --> 00:42:14,840
If you steal nuts, say so. And don't be afraid to say so.

710
00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,760
So we steal. - Yes! Don't be afraid to say it.

711
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:19,280
People need to know this.

712
00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:21,679
And it needs to be known all over the world.

713
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:22,960
The children don't go to school,

714
00:42:23,119 --> 00:42:24,760
you see how everyone is at home.

715
00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:26,559
We go into the bush, we steal nuts.

716
00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:28,800
We make oil. It brings in a little money.

717
00:42:29,039 --> 00:42:30,073
If there's something to drink, we drink.

718
00:42:30,719 --> 00:42:32,400
We're here in the village.

719
00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:35,920
Stealing nuts for these women,

720
00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:38,199
is picking up palm fruits
that have fallen at the foot

721
00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:40,079
of palm trees on Socapalm plantations.

722
00:42:43,079 --> 00:42:45,360
After a few days, fill a bag,

723
00:42:46,199 --> 00:42:47,920
cook them to extract a bottle of oil.

724
00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:53,760
If they get caught, they risk prison.

725
00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:03,639
Explain to me how someone who works for 30 days

726
00:43:04,199 --> 00:43:05,320
and earns 18,000 francs

727
00:43:06,159 --> 00:43:06,920
can feed themselves?

728
00:43:08,639 --> 00:43:09,360
Can he clothe himself?

729
00:43:11,679 --> 00:43:13,440
Can feed his family, his children?

730
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:15,559
Can take care of himself?

731
00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:18,199
When you earn 18,000 francs?

732
00:43:20,159 --> 00:43:21,360
18,000 francs is €30.

733
00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:25,119
Tell me how an adult

734
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:28,199
can feed themselves for a month on €30?

735
00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:32,239
So Socapalm keeps a small staff

736
00:43:33,199 --> 00:43:34,639
under its responsibility

737
00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:38,719
and this staff receives more favorable treatment

738
00:43:39,480 --> 00:43:41,760
than the larger number of personnel

739
00:43:42,119 --> 00:43:43,239
employed by subcontractors.

740
00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:46,559
So in the end we find, on the plantation,

741
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:49,320
Socapalm employees and subcontractor employees.

742
00:43:49,840 --> 00:43:51,159
But the company can say:

743
00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:54,400
"It's not my responsibility to look after

744
00:43:55,320 --> 00:43:56,719
the employees of a subcontractor."

745
00:43:56,920 --> 00:44:00,039
But it is his responsibility to set specifications

746
00:44:00,719 --> 00:44:02,559
which his subcontractor must comply with

747
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:05,159
and to terminate the subcontractor's contract

748
00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:06,840
if they do not comply with it.

749
00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:08,559
I think that hasn't been done.

750
00:44:08,719 --> 00:44:11,119
That's one of the complaints from people in the area.

751
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:14,480
Not necessarily a set of specifications,

752
00:44:14,639 --> 00:44:15,760
but many subcontractors.

753
00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:18,920
There are a lot of people
around. The Socapalm plantations.

754
00:44:19,559 --> 00:44:22,119
Creating a microcosm where...
justice does not necessarily reign.

755
00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:26,347
In hushed voices, women testify

756
00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:29,119
of sexual assault and harassment

757
00:44:30,159 --> 00:44:32,320
committed by workers or security guards

758
00:44:33,039 --> 00:44:34,239
working for Socapalm.

759
00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:38,119
When women resist advances, it gets complicated.

760
00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:39,760
And they don't have to report back.

761
00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:42,000
No justification to give.

762
00:44:42,480 --> 00:44:44,679
No explanation to give to anyone.

763
00:44:44,800 --> 00:44:47,599
Because they have the power
to hire whoever they want.

764
00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:50,599
The power to fire whoever
they want, whenever they want,

765
00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:51,840
however they want.

766
00:44:53,880 --> 00:44:55,360
This is something that has
been reported in the media.

767
00:44:55,519 --> 00:44:59,239
Because women found
themselves stuck in their fields

768
00:45:00,079 --> 00:45:03,519
with guards coming there to rape them.

769
00:45:03,679 --> 00:45:04,360
In their fields.

770
00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:06,840
And when the village came to their aid,

771
00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:09,159
They called it a “nut robbery.”

772
00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:10,679
We would have stolen nuts there.

773
00:45:11,639 --> 00:45:12,960
It was a big problem.

774
00:45:13,199 --> 00:45:14,239
Blood was even shed.

775
00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,639
The newspaper headlined: “Blood in red oil.”

776
00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:30,559
We want all this to stop and for the judgment to state

777
00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:34,679
it be written that Bolloré is condemned

778
00:45:35,239 --> 00:45:37,039
to intervene in

779
00:45:37,639 --> 00:45:40,800
the management of Socapalm, so that Socapalm

780
00:45:41,159 --> 00:45:44,039
stops inflicting these damages on you.

781
00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:48,320
So that she will return to you, at least in part,

782
00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:49,840
your lands.

783
00:45:50,079 --> 00:45:50,800
Exactly

784
00:45:53,079 --> 00:45:53,679
Okay

785
00:46:02,320 --> 00:46:04,037
If at every meeting with his clients,

786
00:46:04,079 --> 00:46:05,199
new faces appear

787
00:46:06,239 --> 00:46:07,760
in the villages, confusion reigns

788
00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,000
and real differences exist

789
00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:14,400
between necessity, hope, fear

790
00:46:15,679 --> 00:46:16,599
and common interest.

791
00:46:22,679 --> 00:46:23,279
Yes

792
00:46:23,840 --> 00:46:27,079
We truly pray that this action

793
00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:28,920
will lead to something.

794
00:46:31,039 --> 00:46:33,840
When I arrived today, I was wearing this outfit.

795
00:46:34,119 --> 00:46:35,960
I removed the Socapalm coupon there,

796
00:46:36,159 --> 00:46:37,760
so you wouldn't notice it.

797
00:46:40,199 --> 00:46:41,480
Because we don't know who's who.

798
00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:42,800
We don't know who is who.

799
00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:46,599
Because you can say that you
are fighting the Bolloré group,

800
00:46:46,719 --> 00:46:48,400
when you're actually with the Bolloré group

801
00:46:48,559 --> 00:46:50,840
you come here to get our votes.

802
00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:52,320
All our information...

803
00:46:54,760 --> 00:46:55,599
We live poorly.

804
00:46:56,000 --> 00:46:56,760
Because we live poorly.

805
00:46:58,079 --> 00:47:01,000
Socapalm has a list of all
the complainants by village.

806
00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:04,559
And as soon as you arrive, you give your name.

807
00:47:05,199 --> 00:47:07,079
They take out the list and look at it.

808
00:47:07,320 --> 00:47:08,760
Which village do you belong to?

809
00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:10,920
If they find your name on the list,

810
00:47:11,639 --> 00:47:12,880
you can be sure you won't get anything.

811
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:17,039
No more service provision.

812
00:47:17,800 --> 00:47:19,000
They even look at your parentage.

813
00:47:19,159 --> 00:47:21,679
That means that if you are a mother of a certain age...

814
00:47:22,639 --> 00:47:24,360
For example, on my ID card,

815
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:25,559
it has my mother's name on it.

816
00:47:26,400 --> 00:47:28,599
That means that even if I'm
not there but my mother is in it,

817
00:47:28,880 --> 00:47:29,519
I won't get anything.

818
00:47:29,880 --> 00:47:31,400
That means that from generation to generation

819
00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:32,480
no one in my family

820
00:47:32,679 --> 00:47:35,280
will ever be able to have
anything from Socapalm again.

821
00:47:35,639 --> 00:47:37,199
Because I complained about a situation

822
00:47:37,639 --> 00:47:39,960
Which we have observed and continue to observe.

823
00:47:40,519 --> 00:47:42,119
And I have no right to complain!

824
00:47:49,800 --> 00:47:52,320
Everyone knows that: that Bolloré is king in Africa.

825
00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:55,559
Well, if Bolloré is convicted now.

826
00:47:56,719 --> 00:47:57,960
And the state doesn't sign the decree?

827
00:47:58,400 --> 00:47:59,559
What guarantees do we have that

828
00:48:00,599 --> 00:48:01,800
Socapalm won't take the land?

829
00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:03,320
What guarantees do we have that

830
00:48:03,519 --> 00:48:04,719
the pollution will stop?

831
00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:06,840
What guarantees do we have?

832
00:48:07,360 --> 00:48:08,400
We have no guarantees.

833
00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:11,800
About two years ago,

834
00:48:12,440 --> 00:48:15,840
Socapalm came to hold a meeting here

835
00:48:16,159 --> 00:48:18,119
at the Nkolong chiefdom.

836
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:21,000
And at its head was Mr. Nguimbok

837
00:48:21,679 --> 00:48:24,199
So he came because they needed people,

838
00:48:24,480 --> 00:48:26,039
to give up their votes

839
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:28,559
in the trial against Bolloré.

840
00:48:29,239 --> 00:48:30,840
But what did he tell us that day?

841
00:48:31,239 --> 00:48:33,400
The land they haven’t yet exploited,

842
00:48:33,800 --> 00:48:36,440
their goal is to transfer it back

843
00:48:36,639 --> 00:48:37,679
to the local populations.

844
00:48:38,119 --> 00:48:40,719
Mr. Nguimbok insisted on reminding us

845
00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:43,840
that Socapalm will no longer need this land

846
00:48:44,360 --> 00:48:46,639
the villagers can plant their own crops.

847
00:48:47,159 --> 00:48:48,239
So I would like to know

848
00:48:48,440 --> 00:48:49,679
who to trust?

849
00:48:49,960 --> 00:48:50,880
We don't know why

850
00:48:51,039 --> 00:48:54,000
we're going to fight Bolloré, when on the other side

851
00:48:54,239 --> 00:48:56,440
they're coming... The government is telling us

852
00:48:56,639 --> 00:48:58,360
that they've already sorted out the problem.

853
00:48:58,519 --> 00:48:59,599
Take your lands

854
00:48:59,679 --> 00:49:01,559
Do whatever you want with your land.

855
00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:04,119
That means you don't understand...

856
00:49:04,519 --> 00:49:06,079
When you've already...

857
00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:08,679
Maybe you have your own interests?

858
00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:10,719
You don't understand.

859
00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:13,159
You're the one who doesn't understand.

860
00:49:13,960 --> 00:49:15,880
Because we no longer speak for ourselves today.

861
00:49:16,039 --> 00:49:18,039
My face is starting to wrinkle

862
00:49:18,199 --> 00:49:19,800
that means I'm getting old.

863
00:49:20,239 --> 00:49:23,000
My children, my grandchildren,
my great-grandchildren

864
00:49:23,119 --> 00:49:24,280
where will they live?

865
00:49:26,039 --> 00:49:27,119
What will they eat?

866
00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:30,079
Where will they farm?

867
00:49:32,079 --> 00:49:34,119
That's what this is all about, and we mustn't

868
00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:38,480
let ourselves be fooled by... reassuring words.

869
00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:42,000
We have real problems with land grabbing.

870
00:49:42,239 --> 00:49:43,400
And we have to fight

871
00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:45,559
to get that land back

872
00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:47,840
and for the government to recognize our rights.

873
00:49:48,719 --> 00:49:49,719
But by the way

874
00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:50,719
no one has any interest

875
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:53,320
really no one has any interest

876
00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:55,360
for Socapalm

877
00:49:56,079 --> 00:49:56,777
to close.

878
00:49:56,819 --> 00:49:57,880
If Socapalm closes today,

879
00:49:57,960 --> 00:49:58,560
at least

880
00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:00,840
25,000 people who will find themselves

881
00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:02,159
without income.

882
00:50:03,960 --> 00:50:05,119
But what we want

883
00:50:06,519 --> 00:50:08,320
is our fundamental right,

884
00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:11,519
for Socapalm to carry out its activities

885
00:50:11,679 --> 00:50:12,960
without encroaching

886
00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:14,880
on our space.

887
00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:16,719
This is our space.

888
00:50:17,079 --> 00:50:17,880
This is our space...

889
00:50:18,079 --> 00:50:18,760
vital.

890
00:50:19,280 --> 00:50:20,079
It's our life.

891
00:50:48,280 --> 00:50:49,599
Meanwhile, in Cambodia,

892
00:50:50,079 --> 00:50:52,800
the Bunongs obtained a hearing date for their trial

893
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:53,920
against the Bolloré Group.

894
00:50:57,119 --> 00:50:59,360
I know you have been waiting

895
00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:02,679
for me to come and inform
you and give you information

896
00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:04,199
about the actions in France.

897
00:51:24,559 --> 00:51:27,960
My name is Samin,

898
00:51:29,159 --> 00:51:30,079
I am Bunong.

899
00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:32,199
I am a translator for lawyer Fiodor Rilov.

900
00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:35,079
There were forms to fill out
with the names of the plaintiffs.

901
00:51:35,639 --> 00:51:38,360
Most people, you know,

902
00:51:39,079 --> 00:51:42,440
didn't think to bring their ID cards.

903
00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:44,760
When I filled out the forms,

904
00:51:45,639 --> 00:51:47,239
they simply spelled their names: Flancin

905
00:51:47,519 --> 00:51:49,639
I first wrote their names in Khmer,

906
00:51:49,960 --> 00:51:54,119
but on the form I had to translate
them into English, of course.

907
00:51:55,199 --> 00:51:56,480
I translated the names into English.

908
00:51:56,719 --> 00:51:59,239
I didn't have much experience,
I was still learning English...

909
00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:05,039
Long an oral language, Bunong
only recently acquired an alphabet

910
00:52:05,519 --> 00:52:06,880
and its spelling still varies.

911
00:52:07,719 --> 00:52:10,239
Furthermore, lawyers for the
Bolloré group are demanding

912
00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:12,440
property titles that the plaintiffs do not have.

913
00:52:13,159 --> 00:52:15,639
Because here, the land was until
recently subject to customary law

914
00:52:16,119 --> 00:52:18,239
and had never been registered in the Bunongs' name.

915
00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:23,320
To translate their ancestral
bond into the language of law,

916
00:52:23,760 --> 00:52:25,194
they use whatever means they have at their disposal.

917
00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:28,880
They photograph themselves on
their land, GPS coordinates in hand,

918
00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:31,440
to transform their presence into an archive.

919
00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:34,159
The place where he currently stands

920
00:52:34,440 --> 00:52:36,159
is his ancestral land.

921
00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:38,360
It should belong to her family.

922
00:52:38,519 --> 00:52:40,440
Today, it belongs to Socfin.

923
00:52:42,480 --> 00:52:43,280
We would like

924
00:52:44,159 --> 00:52:44,920
some of you

925
00:52:45,360 --> 00:52:47,800
to come to France for the hearing.

926
00:53:02,880 --> 00:53:03,840
Hi, Sophorn.

927
00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:05,679
Hi, Fiodor.

928
00:53:06,519 --> 00:53:07,119
How are you?

929
00:53:08,599 --> 00:53:09,559
Not so good.

930
00:53:10,519 --> 00:53:11,320
Why? What happened?

931
00:53:14,039 --> 00:53:18,599
I just got information from the embassy,

932
00:53:18,840 --> 00:53:19,440
Yes...

933
00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:21,440
Through my assistant

934
00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:25,239
who went to pick up the visas today.

935
00:53:25,599 --> 00:53:26,199
Okay.

936
00:53:26,559 --> 00:53:27,679
He told me that...

937
00:53:28,920 --> 00:53:30,159
Don't tell me that?!

938
00:53:30,280 --> 00:53:31,360
All the visas have been rejected.

939
00:53:31,679 --> 00:53:33,159
Don't tell me that?!

940
00:53:34,119 --> 00:53:35,920
I can't imagine that

941
00:53:36,280 --> 00:53:37,119
they take the decision

942
00:53:37,199 --> 00:53:38,280
not to give the visas

943
00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:39,639
a few days before the hearing

944
00:53:40,639 --> 00:53:43,239
without knowing that it will have a enormous impact

945
00:53:43,719 --> 00:53:44,559
on our procedure.

946
00:53:44,920 --> 00:53:47,280
They know they're interfering in our process...

947
00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:52,519
Could you get me the phone number of the consul?

948
00:53:52,840 --> 00:53:54,679
The French consul in Phnom Penh?

949
00:53:56,320 --> 00:53:57,360
Yes, yes.

950
00:53:57,920 --> 00:53:59,679
I'll try to call him.

951
00:54:00,119 --> 00:54:00,800
And...

952
00:54:01,760 --> 00:54:03,920
Look, we have to do everything possible

953
00:54:04,119 --> 00:54:06,599
to get the people over to Paris for the hearing.

954
00:54:16,800 --> 00:54:19,239
Although French law recognizes the possibility

955
00:54:19,400 --> 00:54:22,079
to issue a visa to any person summoned by the courts,

956
00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:25,960
the Bunongs and their lawyers
have been refused visas.

957
00:54:27,480 --> 00:54:29,440
Fiodor Rilov and his Cambodian colleague

958
00:54:29,679 --> 00:54:32,159
then go to the French embassy in Phnom Penh,

959
00:54:32,599 --> 00:54:34,599
to try to resolve the situation.

960
00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:37,000
A setback that will delay the long-awaited hearing

961
00:54:37,119 --> 00:54:38,960
and that even the lawyers

962
00:54:39,079 --> 00:54:40,400
find difficult to understand.

963
00:55:03,559 --> 00:55:07,199
Today, tonight,

964
00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:11,880
to all spirits of rice, charcoal...

965
00:55:19,760 --> 00:55:22,280
Stand with us against Socfin

966
00:55:22,719 --> 00:55:26,039
We beg you to protect us at all costs.

967
00:55:26,280 --> 00:55:29,239
We are going to travel to another country.

968
00:55:30,480 --> 00:55:32,199
Please protect us from evil spirits.

969
00:55:32,599 --> 00:55:35,400
Protect the Bunong culture

970
00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:44,199
Spirits, we offer you a chicken as a sacrifice

971
00:55:45,079 --> 00:55:47,639
and a jar of Bunong wine, as a sign of respect.

972
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:55,280
Protect us at all costs.

973
00:56:05,679 --> 00:56:09,199
There are different sizes.

974
00:56:09,400 --> 00:56:11,000
That's a size 43.

975
00:56:11,840 --> 00:56:14,159
But look at this!

976
00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:17,559
They look like city dwellers!

977
00:56:17,880 --> 00:56:19,760
Now you can all take your passports.

978
00:56:20,280 --> 00:56:21,800
Be careful, if you lose your passport,

979
00:56:22,039 --> 00:56:23,239
you will have problems.

980
00:56:23,480 --> 00:56:27,679
As you know, you represent all of the plaintiffs.

981
00:56:30,800 --> 00:56:33,679
This is the time the plane takes off.

982
00:56:34,000 --> 00:56:35,760
Keep an eye on your carry-on luggage!

983
00:56:35,920 --> 00:56:37,039
Never let it out of your sight.

984
00:56:37,199 --> 00:56:38,840
Keep your passport and purse with you at all times.

985
00:56:47,239 --> 00:56:48,519
We must stay together.

986
00:56:52,280 --> 00:56:53,440
You hold the ticket like this.

987
00:56:53,599 --> 00:56:55,280
And you show it like this.

988
00:57:01,960 --> 00:57:03,679
To find your boarding gate,

989
00:57:03,880 --> 00:57:05,559
locate your flight number on the display boards.

990
00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:10,920
You will present your documents to board the plane.

991
00:58:07,599 --> 00:58:10,119
The first hearing for the
Bunongs will be held in Nanterre,

992
00:58:10,480 --> 00:58:11,599
in February 2019.

993
00:58:13,239 --> 00:58:14,559
The families are asking for clarity:

994
00:58:15,679 --> 00:58:17,960
access to the minutes of the general meetings,

995
00:58:18,800 --> 00:58:19,840
know who votes what,

996
00:58:20,639 --> 00:58:22,679
who decides and on whose behalf.

997
00:58:23,559 --> 00:58:26,199
This law was not designed for companies

998
00:58:26,320 --> 00:58:29,280
protect themselves legally from
possible legal action by a judge

999
00:58:29,559 --> 00:58:30,760
alerted by an NGO,

1000
00:58:30,880 --> 00:58:33,239
a local community or a French trade union.

1001
00:58:33,719 --> 00:58:36,599
This law was made to protect
victims around the world.

1002
00:58:36,760 --> 00:58:38,639
So in the end, I have faith in the judges.

1003
00:59:05,719 --> 00:59:08,719
Okay, so only the plaintiffs' attorneys
and the parties involved may enter.

1004
00:59:08,960 --> 00:59:10,079
Everyone else stays outside.

1005
00:59:10,840 --> 00:59:12,239
I'm confused, we interrupted you.

1006
00:59:12,519 --> 00:59:13,119
Good morning.

1007
00:59:13,639 --> 00:59:14,320
You were interrupted

1008
00:59:14,519 --> 00:59:17,559
Yes, yes, could you please stop filming sir?

1009
00:59:17,800 --> 00:59:19,079
We are in a courtroom, turn it off,

1010
00:59:19,519 --> 00:59:20,280
turn it off,

1011
00:59:21,320 --> 00:59:22,760
No, it's not off, show me.

1012
00:59:23,199 --> 00:59:24,360
You are in a court of law here.

1013
00:59:24,440 --> 00:59:26,039
We're not at the movies, we're not on the street.

1014
00:59:34,159 --> 00:59:36,320
Their entire way of life has been completely

1015
00:59:36,960 --> 00:59:39,559
dismantled by the
establishment of these plantations

1016
00:59:39,840 --> 00:59:43,000
in violation of multiple international rules.

1017
00:59:43,599 --> 00:59:45,559
Those who violated these rules,

1018
00:59:45,719 --> 00:59:48,440
those who established these
plantations under conditions

1019
00:59:48,599 --> 00:59:50,280
absolutely unbearable conditions must

1020
00:59:50,559 --> 00:59:51,920
take responsibility for their actions.

1021
00:59:52,119 --> 00:59:55,159
That's why we're here. So we're simply demanding

1022
00:59:55,320 --> 00:59:56,320
a number of documents

1023
00:59:56,480 --> 00:59:57,440
that contain the truth.

1024
00:59:57,719 --> 01:00:00,920
That’s it. Would we honestly

1025
01:00:01,639 --> 01:00:04,119
Would they really refuse so stubbornly

1026
01:00:04,320 --> 01:00:05,320
to show us these contracts

1027
01:00:05,480 --> 01:00:09,079
if they did not contain the truth that our opponents

1028
01:00:09,280 --> 01:00:10,920
fear will come to light?

1029
01:00:16,039 --> 01:00:18,159
What is implied by the opposing party

1030
01:00:18,360 --> 01:00:20,880
is that Vincent Bolloré managed directly

1031
01:00:21,320 --> 01:00:23,880
everything related to his plantations in Cambodia.

1032
01:00:24,280 --> 01:00:26,400
Does that seem crazy to you?

1033
01:00:26,639 --> 01:00:27,706
But you're talking about insinuations,

1034
01:00:27,840 --> 01:00:28,840
and those are indeed insinuations.

1035
01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:30,480
And this whole case is based solely on insinuations.

1036
01:00:30,599 --> 01:00:32,733
Just because our name is Vincent Bolloré,
we're supposed to manage everything.

1037
01:00:33,039 --> 01:00:34,920
The Red Earth Company is a
company that is 15 years old

1038
01:00:35,039 --> 01:00:36,639
of existence, or rather had,

1039
01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:38,960
which has now been liquidated for several years

1040
01:00:39,079 --> 01:00:42,599
and which never managed any
plantations on behalf of Bolloré.

1041
01:00:42,760 --> 01:00:44,639
The Bolloré Group does not manage any plantations.

1042
01:00:44,800 --> 01:00:47,320
It's as simple as that. It is a publicly traded group.

1043
01:00:47,480 --> 01:00:48,480
A publicly traded group

1044
01:00:48,639 --> 01:00:50,119
has obligations. It submits a document

1045
01:00:50,239 --> 01:00:51,400
of reference each year to the FCA.

1046
01:00:51,519 --> 01:00:54,360
It's all controlled. It's written
down. You just have to read it.

1047
01:00:54,480 --> 01:00:56,039
That's why this procedure is completely artificial

1048
01:00:56,159 --> 01:00:57,880
and that unfortunate Bunong farmers are brought in

1049
01:00:58,119 --> 01:00:59,559
into this procedure in a scandalous manner,

1050
01:00:59,679 --> 01:01:02,039
all you have to do is read a
document and the plaintiffs' attorney

1051
01:01:02,159 --> 01:01:03,159
knows this perfectly well.

1052
01:01:03,360 --> 01:01:05,239
And this superficiality is
absolutely unacceptable.

1053
01:01:05,880 --> 01:01:08,360
So you deny that Bolloré has rubber plantations?

1054
01:01:08,480 --> 01:01:09,280
I answered you,

1055
01:01:45,960 --> 01:01:49,159
The very first lawsuit based on the duty of care law

1056
01:01:49,280 --> 01:01:51,000
was dismissed.

1057
01:01:52,480 --> 01:01:54,280
The court ruled that the Bunong plaintiffs

1058
01:01:54,400 --> 01:01:56,920
had neither standing nor interest to sue.

1059
01:01:58,400 --> 01:01:59,719
Names that are difficult to translate,

1060
01:02:00,199 --> 01:02:01,559
lands that are complicated to demarcate.

1061
01:02:04,000 --> 01:02:06,519
No substantive issues will therefore be examined,

1062
01:02:06,760 --> 01:02:08,480
nor the responsibility of the parent company

1063
01:02:08,840 --> 01:02:10,119
nor the practices of its subsidiaries.

1064
01:02:14,360 --> 01:02:15,880
From this expeditious hearing.

1065
01:02:16,239 --> 01:02:18,119
The Bunongs report a strange feeling,

1066
01:02:18,920 --> 01:02:21,320
a kind of quiet anger that they
do not want to keep silent about.

1067
01:02:25,119 --> 01:02:27,840
Hello. My name is Sorng Prou,

1068
01:02:28,320 --> 01:02:29,679
I live in the village of Term Lame.

1069
01:02:30,559 --> 01:02:34,000
We have traveled a long way
to come to the French court.

1070
01:02:34,400 --> 01:02:39,400
The court did not give us the
opportunity to express ourselves.

1071
01:02:39,880 --> 01:02:41,159
We are disappointed.

1072
01:02:41,480 --> 01:02:42,880
The French court did not do us justice.

1073
01:02:43,320 --> 01:02:45,920
Instead, they accused us of
illegally occupying our land.

1074
01:02:46,760 --> 01:02:51,280
Furthermore, we were ordered to pay $20,000

1075
01:02:52,039 --> 01:02:56,079
to the company that stole our land.

1076
01:02:56,400 --> 01:02:58,119
To this day, in 2024, the
French court did not do us justice.

1077
01:02:58,440 --> 01:03:00,400
I feel neglected, unheard, and invisible.

1078
01:03:01,159 --> 01:03:03,840
We, the Bunongs, will fight

1079
01:03:04,119 --> 01:03:05,800
for the land we have lost,

1080
01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:08,719
for our future generations,

1081
01:03:09,000 --> 01:03:12,480
and so that we do not lose our identity.

1082
01:03:41,960 --> 01:03:43,840
Land grabbing and its consequences

1083
01:03:43,920 --> 01:03:45,400
are not historical relics.

1084
01:03:47,519 --> 01:03:48,400
It's a mechanism,

1085
01:03:48,840 --> 01:03:49,440
documented,

1086
01:03:49,800 --> 01:03:50,639
but largely ignored

1087
01:04:01,559 --> 01:04:02,519
Since 2015,

1088
01:04:02,840 --> 01:04:04,079
under the influence of NGOs

1089
01:04:04,199 --> 01:04:05,119
and independent experts,

1090
01:04:05,440 --> 01:04:07,519
the issue of responsibility of parent companies

1091
01:04:07,639 --> 01:04:09,480
for their production chain abroad

1092
01:04:09,639 --> 01:04:10,960
has entered the public debate in France.

1093
01:04:16,599 --> 01:04:17,199
In France,

1094
01:04:17,360 --> 01:04:19,920
the law on the duty of care has opened a breach.

1095
01:04:20,559 --> 01:04:22,519
A European directive is in
the process of being adopted

1096
01:04:22,760 --> 01:04:25,599
to ensure that these obligations
cover all European Union countries.

1097
01:04:30,280 --> 01:04:32,679
One of the multinational's own investors,

1098
01:04:32,880 --> 01:04:34,159
the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund,

1099
01:04:34,480 --> 01:04:36,039
has even mandated its ethics council

1100
01:04:36,159 --> 01:04:37,800
to conduct a field investigation in Cameroon.

1101
01:04:38,239 --> 01:04:40,760
And it confirms the warnings reported since 2005

1102
01:04:40,920 --> 01:04:42,239
by dozens of reports,

1103
01:04:50,159 --> 01:04:52,559
A form of resistance that is
becoming increasingly determined

1104
01:04:52,760 --> 01:04:54,039
is organizing against these oligarchies.

1105
01:04:56,159 --> 01:04:57,719
The balance of power remains uneven

1106
01:04:58,960 --> 01:05:00,400
and access to justice and truth

1107
01:05:00,599 --> 01:05:02,039
has not yet been achieved in this area.

1108
01:05:02,880 --> 01:05:03,880
But the movement is underway

1109
01:05:21,159 --> 01:05:22,559
In the critique of the duty of vigilance.

1110
01:05:22,679 --> 01:05:23,557
People often say:

1111
01:05:23,599 --> 01:05:26,119
"But the law isn't effective yet."

1112
01:05:27,000 --> 01:05:29,119
I tend to...

1113
01:05:29,760 --> 01:05:32,440
reassure myself and perhaps
reassure those I am talking to

1114
01:05:32,559 --> 01:05:33,159
by telling them

1115
01:05:33,559 --> 01:05:35,800
it's a law that will slowly take effect

1116
01:05:36,079 --> 01:05:38,000
because it is a profound revolution.

1117
01:05:38,280 --> 01:05:41,039
This isn't a publicity stunt, it's not a « one-shot ».

1118
01:05:41,159 --> 01:05:43,519
It's something that takes time.

1119
01:05:43,800 --> 01:05:45,079
And it requires learning,

1120
01:05:45,400 --> 01:05:46,400
for companies

1121
01:05:47,199 --> 01:05:50,280
as it does for NGOs that will advocate for victims

1122
01:05:50,800 --> 01:05:53,000
as it does for judges who
will have to deal with this issue.

1123
01:06:04,079 --> 01:06:09,360
I come from the village of
Busra. Mondolkiri Province.

1124
01:06:15,000 --> 01:06:20,039
I chose to study general management

1125
01:06:20,519 --> 01:06:24,159
because I like this subject

1126
01:06:24,679 --> 01:06:29,039
and we study better what interests us.

1127
01:06:29,760 --> 01:06:33,400
I currently live in the BIPA dormitories

1128
01:06:34,239 --> 01:06:42,239
because I go to university in Phnom Penh.

1129
01:06:59,000 --> 01:07:05,480
For you, as students,

1130
01:07:05,880 --> 01:07:08,199
in the future, what do you want?

1131
01:07:08,480 --> 01:07:11,280
What are your expectations?

1132
01:07:11,639 --> 01:07:14,239
And your hopes?

1133
01:07:14,960 --> 01:07:19,519
I will support and advise the
members of my community,

1134
01:07:19,880 --> 01:07:21,679
especially the next generation,

1135
01:07:22,320 --> 01:07:25,159
so that they pursue higher education,

1136
01:07:26,079 --> 01:07:31,159
because knowledge is power.

1137
01:07:31,400 --> 01:07:32,719
In order to be able to intervene with people

1138
01:07:33,039 --> 01:07:36,039
in the community, so that they listen to what we say.

1139
01:07:36,280 --> 01:07:39,719
For example, when there is a land sale situation,

1140
01:07:40,039 --> 01:07:43,719
to be able to guide people during a land dispute.

1141
01:07:56,199 --> 01:07:57,880
We need everyone to get involved

1142
01:07:58,360 --> 01:07:59,519
to protect human rights,

1143
01:07:59,800 --> 01:08:01,800
to protect the environment and protect society.

1144
01:08:02,199 --> 01:08:03,840
To live in a common home,

1145
01:08:04,119 --> 01:08:05,079
a common country,

1146
01:08:05,199 --> 01:08:07,000
a common world.

1147
01:08:07,480 --> 01:08:09,599
The world is not made for just one person,

1148
01:08:10,400 --> 01:08:12,079
and it's not just made for Socfin either.

1149
01:08:12,559 --> 01:08:13,800
It belongs to everyone,

1150
01:08:14,440 --> 01:08:15,679
and everyone should be able to live in peace,

1151
01:08:16,319 --> 01:08:18,520
happily, and...

1152
01:08:19,920 --> 01:08:21,319
protected by the law.

1153
01:08:30,680 --> 01:08:32,880
My goal now

1154
01:08:35,119 --> 01:08:36,279
is to fight.

1155
01:08:37,359 --> 01:08:38,119
So that...

1156
01:08:40,399 --> 01:08:43,720
everyone can regain their peace of mind.

1157
01:08:44,479 --> 01:08:45,079
Already that.

1158
01:08:46,199 --> 01:08:48,000
And for young girls like me,

1159
01:08:49,520 --> 01:08:52,239
that they are able to achieve

1160
01:08:52,720 --> 01:08:56,680
at least a quarter of their dreams.

1161
01:09:02,479 --> 01:09:04,000
I rewrote my film so many times,

1162
01:09:05,720 --> 01:09:07,600
overwhelmed by the historical complexity,

1163
01:09:07,760 --> 01:09:08,360
legal,

1164
01:09:08,600 --> 01:09:11,239
political and cultural
complexity of an abysmal reality.

1165
01:09:12,199 --> 01:09:12,920
Every meeting,

1166
01:09:13,439 --> 01:09:15,800
every reading and conversation with lawyers

1167
01:09:16,000 --> 01:09:16,720
or activists,

1168
01:09:16,960 --> 01:09:18,279
anthropologists or journalists,

1169
01:09:19,000 --> 01:09:20,840
added a new layer to my understanding.

1170
01:09:21,640 --> 01:09:23,479
I filmed with only one certainty

1171
01:09:24,039 --> 01:09:25,680
this urgency to talk about the common,

1172
01:09:26,279 --> 01:09:27,560
the porosity between us,

1173
01:09:28,199 --> 01:09:30,520
beyond borders real or imagined,

1174
01:09:35,520 --> 01:09:36,760
My approach is personal,

1175
01:09:38,720 --> 01:09:41,359
but my search could be that of an entire generation

1176
01:09:41,600 --> 01:09:43,159
seeking to reconnect with something

1177
01:09:43,279 --> 01:09:44,720
fertile in a world in decline.

1178
01:09:46,199 --> 01:09:49,239
Personally, I've never been a big fan of banners,

1179
01:09:50,119 --> 01:09:51,439
affiliating myself with banners,

1180
01:09:52,479 --> 01:09:53,760
but I don't forget that this country,

1181
01:09:54,159 --> 01:09:55,920
France, is also mine.

1182
01:09:56,800 --> 01:09:58,920
This humanity is also mine.

1183
01:10:00,239 --> 01:10:02,000
In fact, the memory is vivid.

1184
01:10:02,800 --> 01:10:04,399
It is recognition that is lacking.

1185
01:10:09,880 --> 01:10:10,800
In 2022,

1186
01:10:10,960 --> 01:10:11,600
finally,

1187
01:10:11,960 --> 01:10:13,880
the collective efforts of 15 years of struggle

1188
01:10:14,199 --> 01:10:16,399
bore fruit in the French justice system.

1189
01:10:18,439 --> 01:10:20,359
The lawsuit filed by the Cameroonian plaintiffs

1190
01:10:20,560 --> 01:10:21,920
similar to that of the Bunongs

1191
01:10:22,319 --> 01:10:22,919
took place

1192
01:10:24,439 --> 01:10:26,199
And this time, they will obtain

1193
01:10:26,359 --> 01:10:27,680
the conviction of the Bolloré group

1194
01:10:28,439 --> 01:10:30,680
to hand over the documents
from these general meetings.

1195
01:10:34,800 --> 01:10:36,560
We found in the items

1196
01:10:36,720 --> 01:10:38,359
that were finally addressed to us

1197
01:10:38,840 --> 01:10:42,000
proof that Bolloré

1198
01:10:42,399 --> 01:10:46,159
and Socfin's other major shareholder,

1199
01:10:46,359 --> 01:10:47,720
namely Mr. Fabri,

1200
01:10:47,960 --> 01:10:51,399
systematically joined their votes

1201
01:10:52,359 --> 01:10:53,439
to decide everything,

1202
01:10:53,600 --> 01:10:54,600
but really everything,

1203
01:10:55,439 --> 01:10:56,800
within Socfin

1204
01:10:57,079 --> 01:10:59,479
and that therefore the
plaintiffs, the Bunongs, but also

1205
01:10:59,680 --> 01:11:03,159
the Cameroonian plaintiffs, can turn to Bolloré

1206
01:11:03,760 --> 01:11:05,920
for violating

1207
01:11:06,079 --> 01:11:10,560
its duty of care and failing to prevent

1208
01:11:11,000 --> 01:11:12,960
the subsidiaries in Cambodia and Cameroon

1209
01:11:13,439 --> 01:11:17,800
causing all this considerable
damage to the detriment of

1210
01:11:18,199 --> 01:11:19,720
of the Cameroonian and Cambodian plaintiffs.

1211
01:11:24,359 --> 01:11:27,159
A victory in form, which highlights how much

1212
01:11:27,319 --> 01:11:28,680
the underlying problem persists

1213
01:11:28,920 --> 01:11:30,119
and urgently needs to be resolved.

1214
01:11:33,399 --> 01:11:35,279
Beyond the return of their land,

1215
01:11:35,800 --> 01:11:38,640
what communities affected by
land grabbing are seeking is simple:

1216
01:11:39,960 --> 01:11:41,279
Regaining their independence,

1217
01:11:41,960 --> 01:11:43,439
decent living conditions,

1218
01:11:48,359 --> 01:11:50,640
the ruling and those who made it possible

1219
01:11:50,960 --> 01:11:52,960
have undoubtedly sent a strong signal.

1220
01:11:54,359 --> 01:11:57,159
At this point, it is to be hoped that this new vision

1221
01:11:57,399 --> 01:11:59,760
of international trade will quickly gain ground

1222
01:11:59,880 --> 01:12:01,159
in Western standards

1223
01:12:02,000 --> 01:12:02,680
so that this fight

1224
01:12:02,840 --> 01:12:03,960
of a lifetime not be in vain.

1225
01:12:05,560 --> 01:12:07,520
So that their story may continue.